Dear Panda
by ittyK
Summary: Tenten/shikamaru fluff. Rated T for language and sexual references.
1. Chapter 1

AN: So, this was written a while ago for a friend. Not very good, but I figured I'd post it anyway. ^^

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The sun burned so hot it was borderline cruel. There wasn't a cloud in the sky to block it, and the large clearing which TenTen was using to train in offered no shade. Her mouth was dry, her hair was drenched in sweat, her throat screamed for water. But still she went, using scroll after scroll, swinging the blades into their mark.

Eventually, she collapsed. Her knees gave out and she kneeled there, panting, until she's gathered enough energy to stumble to the nearby river. She quickly pealed her clothes away from her sticky-with-sweat skin and jumped into the water, taking long gulps before resurfacing.

She felt like she was in heaven.

She let her hair down, something she only did in private, and allowed her eyes to slide shut and her mind to wander.

"Oi! You okay?" A male voice startled her out of her thoughts.

A pervert? Here? She screamed and looked around, frantically trying to find the source of the voice.

"Over here." The voice called. She could almost hear a smile in it as she turned her head to the opposite bank. Shikamaru Nara was leaning against a tree near the water's edge.

"Don't worry." He said in response to the look on her face. "I'm not a pervert, I was just looking for a place to nap."

While he spoke, she'd sunk down so just her nose and eyes were above water, watching him warily. She supposed that if he was a pervert he would have hid to watch, and he hadn't seemed like one when they'd taken the Chunin exams together, but one could never really tell.

"Could you turn around so I can get dressed?" She asked carefully, relieved when he complied without further comment.

Once she was dressed, they sat together on the bank and talked.

"I was training for the next chunin exams. Neji and Lee are set. More than set; they've got it for sure. I'm just so far behind them and so limited in ability. I lost so pathetically to that girl from Suna last time." TenTen caught herself rambling and trailed off. "Sorry. I'm being stupid about it."  
Shikamaru had stretched out on the sand and his eyes were closed. She wasn't sure he was awake, let alone listening, until he replied. "I think you're going to do fine. It's not just skill they look for in a chunin. It's also intelligence and level-headedness. You've got plenty of all, including skill." He opened one eye to examine her lazily.

"It's entirely reasonable to worry about such things, but I think you're just selling yourself short. Very short."

His eye slid shut again, and a blush colored TenTen's cheeks. She wondered if he was just saying that, or if he really meant it but something in his tone implied the later. They stayed there in silence until the sun started setting.

"I better go." Shikamaru yawned. "My mother will get angry if I'm much later. What a troublesome woman..."

TenTen stood as well, stretching. "You're lucky you have a mother." She remarked, not meaning to sound pitiful or resentful.

He glanced at her and sighed. "You are welcome to join my family for dinner, if you'd like."

She blushed again and shook her head, replying almost too quickly. "Oh, no! I couldn't impose on your family like that! And I didn't mean what I said in that way. I only meant you should appreciate how much she does for you."

"Yeah, yeah." Shikamaru mumbled, giving her a lazy wave and heading back towards town.

"Thank you!" She called after his retreating figure.

The next day, she continued training, but she kept his words in her mind the whole time.

He was there as a witness when TenTen was promoted. She could've sworn she saw a smirk.


	2. Chapter 2

Their next meeting wasn't until almost a year later. They both had busy schedules and it wasn't as if they sought each other out.

Like the first, the second meeting was entirely accidental. This time, it was TenTen who stumbled upon Shikamaru in the woods. Literally, she stumbled upon him and ended up sprawled awkwardly over his legs.

It was a rather rude awakening for Shikamaru, but he waved off the apologies saying it was nothing. They ended up sharing lunch and talking. Or rather, TenTen talked while Shikamaru listened.

"Neji's already been promoted to Jounin! He really is incredible. Of course, Lee is too. I didn't really expect him ever to amount to anything when I first met him because he could only use taijutsu. But his stamina is insane, and he really does have will of fire!" She continued babbling on and on until she only had one more thing to say.

"I want to thank you for before. Your words really did help me. I was wondering if there was anything I could do to repay you?"

He smiled lazily at her and stretched out against a tree. "You already have." He continued in response to her confused look, adding, "By not wasting my words."

She looked down, suddenly feeling self-conscious about how much she talked. "Yeah, you do seem to be the type to hate wasted breath." She said, awkwardly.

"I like listening. But talking is a hassle sometimes." He slid his eyes shut, and she blushed.

Had he heard her insecurity in her voice? Probably. So he'd said it to boost her confidence again? It was just like last time. His tone suggested he was speaking the truth, and she let the silence carry on.

She lay next to him and watched the clouds changing easily in the wind. She hadn't cloud-watched since she was a child, before her father had gone. It brought a crushing wave of nostalgia over her, and tears sprung to her eyes. She couldn't tell if they were tears of happiness or sorrow, but they spilled down her cheeks all the same.

She couldn't remember exactly how it happened, but TenTen found herself wrapped in Shikamaru's strong arms, sobbing into his vest. He didn't try to tell her it was okay. He didn't try to figure out what was wrong. He didn't try to distract her. He didn't say anything at all, letting her cry as she needed.  
When she ran out of tears, she dry sobbed for a few minutes before wiping her eyes and drinking some water.

"Sorry." She muttered, taking a few deep breathes.

"No problem." He said, rubbing her back.

"It seems I'm always troubling you!" She said with a small giggle.

"Does it?" He dropped his hand and frowned. "I don't think it's troublesome."

The words coming from his mouth caught her slightly off guard and a genuine laugh pushed its way out of her.

"What?" Shikamaru asked, wondering if she'd crossed some line into hysteria.

"It's just that I always hear you say 'It's troublesome, it's troublesome!' I never thought I'd hear you say the opposite." She giggled.

Shikamaru chuckled. "I suppose so. Well, don't worry. I've yet to find something troublesome about you."

She laughed. "And you never will! I'm flawless!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, a grin on his face, giving him a ridiculously goofy expression. TenTen only laughed harder.

It bugged her, for some reason; the idea that Shikamaru might find her troublesome


End file.
